Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 578

The place we moved to was Ardan’s room. Following Ardan’s order to speak in private, the servants who had set the table with refreshments quickly left the room. Even his granddaughter, Weldy, was no exception. Only after all prying eyes were gone did Ardan speak.

“Have you been well? I am relieved to see you in good health. You cannot imagine how long I have waited for Sir Sibelius to return. It was really too much to make an old man worry so much.”

“……I’m sorry for leaving without a word.”

“I understand. Sir Sibelius is still in his prime, so he must not have been able to resist the call of adventure. But it is enough that you have returned like this.”

It was a peaceful conversation on the surface, but the air between them was anything but. Sibelius barely managed to suppress a grimace as he felt the sharp undercurrents. Time spent with the Elder was always like this. Even the most casual conversation felt like a subtle battle. In contrast, Ardan, with a relaxed expression, leisurely stroked the circlet placed on the table with his fingers.

“I heard the gist of it from Weldy. It seems that child brought back a relic of the Demon God.”

“The priests are looking for it. It must be returned.”

“Of course. A relic cannot be privately owned. I will have my subordinates return it to the Demon God’s temple.”

“I’ll do it myself……”

“Sir Sibelius.”

At the stern tone, Sibelius simply closed his mouth.

“Haven’t you done enough foolish things already?”

“……”

“The world of other races may seem new and interesting. You may even make friends with them. But the Rune [a member of a specific clan with unique powers] must not do that. You must always be wary of your surroundings and protect yourself. Humans, in particular, are the most cunning race and must be watched most carefully. Haven’t I told you this repeatedly?”

“I am being careful enough. And not all humans are cunning. There are good people too.”

“Look at this. You say you are being careful, yet you are already showing a favorable attitude toward humans. Don’t you see the contradiction?”

“……Ardan. I’m not an idiot.”

Ardan paused for a moment at the answer, which came out with a sigh.

“Whether the person in front of me is cunning or kind, whether they sincerely care for me or not, I can distinguish that much.”

“……”

“Aren’t you the one who looks down on me and dismisses me more than anyone else?”

The air grew heavy, and silence filled the room. Ardan stared at Sibelius for a while with a face devoid of any amusement. Then, he smiled again as if nothing had happened.

“I see. Sir Sibelius has grown up now. I suppose an old man’s concern was excessive. In my eyes, Sir Sibelius’s childhood is still vivid.”

“……”

“You held my hand with your tiny hands and toddled along. Left alone without parents or siblings. Every day, with tears in your eyes, you looked for me, calling, ‘Ardan, Ardan……’”

“Stop it, Ardan. That was a long time ago, back when I was literally a child.”

“Haha, I’m sorry. Just thinking about that time still breaks my heart.”

Feeling suffocated, Sibelius clenched his fist tightly. Ardan, who brought up the past as his guardian whenever there was a conflict, was truly difficult to deal with. He felt indebted and was forced to swallow the words he wanted to say. He knew that the resentment he suppressed would eventually become poison, but he couldn’t avoid it.

“I was so overly concerned with taking good care of Sir Sibelius that I have been too strict. I understand that you may feel resentful. But if you act recklessly because of that, wouldn’t that be proof that Sir Sibelius has not yet matured?”

“I’m not doing this out of rebelliousness……!”

“If it’s not rebelliousness, then you should know how to dismiss a momentary amusement as just that. You should understand the duties of the Rune better than anyone else.”

“……Ardan.”

“Don’t you understand yet? It doesn’t matter whether the other person is kind or evil. The Rune doesn’t even need to consider such things. The important thing is that you shouldn’t associate with other races in the first place.”

Ardan’s eyes gleamed with a strange light. Sibelius closed his mouth again. It felt like a huge wall was standing in front of him. A wall that was impossibly high and solid, that could never be overcome by any means. When Sibelius fell silent, Ardan put on a soft expression.

“Sir Sibelius keeps turning his eyes outward because of the pressure. You are blaming yourself too much for not yet awakening the power of the Rune. It’s all my fault for putting pressure on you. But now you don’t have to worry about anything. If you return to the Divine Realm, Sir Sibelius will be able to awaken the power of the Rune. Then you will be able to achieve true harmony with the clan.”

It was a ridiculous statement. If awakening was the standard for harmony, then the previous Rune, who was considered the strongest Rune in history, should have achieved true harmony more than anyone else. But he abandoned his power and left the village, didn’t he? In the first place, isn’t the Rune a unicorn [a mythical creature with a single horn, often associated with purity and grace]? Why can he only achieve harmony by awakening his power when other clans naturally achieve it from birth? His head was filled with words he wanted to refute.

“If you understand, prepare to return to the Divine Realm now……”

“I’m not going.”

The answer came out more easily than he thought. Ardan, who had paused, glared at him with a frightening face.

“What did you just say?”

“I said I’m not going to the Divine Realm. If you’re going, you guys go. I’m staying in Arkadon.”

“……”

As befitting a seasoned Elder, Ardan did not readily become agitated. Instead, he slowly fiddled with the ring on his finger. Sibelius, who could not fail to understand the meaning of that gesture, hardened his face.

“I wonder if you will say the same thing even after the lingering attachments you have here disappear.”

“……Even if El dies, it’s the same. Rather, I won’t go even more because I can’t forgive you for killing my friend. Don’t even think about threatening me with El’s life, because then I’ll risk my own life too.”

“Are you perhaps saying you would die?”

“Do you think I can’t do it?”

“……”

For the first time, Ardan wore an expression of speechlessness. He glared at Sibelius with a troubled face, then spoke in a more conciliatory voice.

“Don’t be so emotional, Sir Sibelius. Do you think it makes sense for you, the Rune, not to return when the Unicorn clan is returning to the Divine Realm?”

“You’ve never treated me like a Rune anyway.”

“Sir Sibelius.”

“And isn’t the Rune no longer needed once we return to the Divine Realm? Everyone wanted Lord Lusef to descend, not me. Now that you can meet Lord Lusef in person, isn’t my role over?”

“Even so, that power is unique. We cannot allow it to fall into the hands of another race……”

“I will never hand it over. I swear. I’ll abandon my power here if you want. Can I break my wings too? Would that be enough?”

“What……”

“Let me quit. I can’t do this anymore. I’m sick of it all.”

At that moment, Ardan’s face twisted horribly. Sibelius tensed up without realizing it at the more passionate reaction than anything he had ever seen.

“……Your brother was truly the same. Well, the Rune bloodline has always been like that.”

His face, as he stood up and looked down, was full of anger. His gaze of contempt was as if he were looking at the most hated thing in the world. Sibelius thought that face suited him much better than a smiling face. Perhaps it was because it reflected his most honest feelings.

“You possess a special power that others want but cannot have. Instead of taking pride in it, you are only busy trying to abandon your duty. I don’t know why Lusef bestowed the power of the Rune upon your bloodline. If it were me, if I were the Rune……!”

“You think you could have done better if you were the Rune?”

“Of course. I know what duty is better than anyone else.”

“That’s right. It would have been better if you were the Rune instead……”

Ardan’s face twisted even more at the words he replied with a sneer. The grinding of his teeth could be heard in the following question.

“You said you would stay in Arkadon? You said you have no intention of changing your mind with any words? You would rather die than return to the Divine Realm with us?”

“Yes.”

“Ha! Very well! We don’t need a pathetic Rune like you either! As you said, what use is a Rune once we return to the Divine Realm?”

Could it be that he was giving up like this? Sibelius, feeling a flicker of hope, raised his head. Ardan’s lips twisted cruelly as he saw that.

“But even if it is not needed, the power of the Rune is a product of Lord Lusef. I cannot leave that noble power abandoned on the ground, nor can I watch that power disappear.”

Immediately after, Ardan muttered something briefly and fiddled with the ring on his finger. At the same time, Sibelius felt a powerful force suppressing him. He could not move his body as if he were bound by something.

“……What are you trying to do?”

“Do you know this, Sir Sibelius? There is more to the judgment that this relic delivers than just death.”

A strange light flickered on the blue gem embedded in the ring. Was that gem lapis lazuli [a blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone]? It was a mineral that was good for containing divine power and was also called the jewel of God. Come to think of it, the gem embedded in the circlet seemed to be made of the same material. The moment that thought occurred to him, light also rose from the gem in the circlet, as if the two gems were resonating with each other.

“Imprison the sinner in the eternal abyss!”

A storm raged before his eyes. Sibelius, who was instantly swallowed into it, closed his eyes as he felt a distant sensation of falling.

‘I was going to make gloves for El.’

Suddenly, one of his previous promises came to mind. He had been lucky enough to find and purchase mermaid scales while browsing a haberdashery a while ago. It was a very pretty blue color, but he should have given them to her. Maybe he should have said goodbye, as Troel had suggested.

‘I’m sorry, El.’

The blurred vision closed, and consciousness quickly faded away. He sank into the ink-like darkness as it was.

Whoosh―

The swirling currents were fiercely sucked into the gem of the circlet. When that huge wave ended, Sibelius’s figure had completely disappeared. The circlet that had swallowed him was as docile as if nothing had happened. Ardan gazed intently as the ring, having completed its mission, crumbled into dust. He had used a precious relic, but he did not feel a single regret. Rather, joy surged up.

“Stay on the ground as you wish, last Rune. Trapped in eternal time, in a body that can neither die nor live.”

He whispered softly to the opponent who could no longer hear anything. An uncontrollable laugh burst out. With this, the Rune bloodline was eternal. No one would dare to covet or harm it.

* * *

As expected, Sibelius never contacted me again. Just in case, I inquired about news regarding the Demon God’s relic, but it was equally in the dark. I felt like I would only invite strange misunderstandings if I dug too deeply, so I stopped after looking into it to some extent. That’s how a year passed.

It was also the period when I started to settle down in the Root Forest. At first, I lived in a simple tent, but after addressing the inconveniences one by one, it became a cabin. It was not comparable to Sibelius’s tent, but it was livable enough. Lamias, however, complained every time she came, as if only I thought so.

“No, why are you living so pathetically in this mountain? You could at least live in a nearby village. Do you not have money or ability? I keep telling you to come and live in our house if you don’t have a place to live, but you refuse. You also refuse to buy a house in the village. I even told you to hire workers to build a decent house, but you don’t even pretend to listen. What is wrong with you?”

Sitting on the creaking wooden chair, Lamias, with a scrunched-up face, grumbled throughout drinking the tea she was served. Only the order and expression were slightly different, but the content was always the same. If I listened a little more, I felt like I could memorize it, so a sigh naturally escaped.

“Did you come all this way just to nag me again?”

“If I weren’t so frustrated, would I do this? Other humans are trying to earn every last penny when they are young. You are still in your prime, but you are living like a retired old man. Don’t you have any ambition?”

“Eh, what’s the point of having that? You just end up working more.”

“Aren’t you wasting your talent and ability! What if you become stupid by living without doing anything like that! In that case, use that ability for me! Become my successor!”

“You’ve already decided on a successor. Didn’t you even hold an announcement banquet?”

“I’ll take him back if you say you’ll do it. He’ll step down without any complaints if his opponent is you, too.”

“Haha, no. I won’t do it.”

Even if it was a joke, she was the kind of person who would really do it if I accepted it, even half-heartedly (and Davian was really the kind of person who would yield), so I quickly backed away. Lamias smacked her lips with a face full of regret. The successor of the Sepion Duke [a high-ranking noble title], no way. I would do other things, but I would never do that. Who was she trying to kill with work?

“Be good to Davian. It’s not like anyone else would accept that position.”

“Don’t talk like I’m forcing him to take a position he can’t handle. This is the Duke’s successor position, you know? It’s even the Sepion Duke’s family? A great noble among the Empire’s Five Great Families! It’s the family that owns the most territories in the Empire!”

“I know.”

If there is a lot of land to manage, there will be that much more work. It would be a situation where work is piled up as soon as you turn your eyes, but what’s so good about that? I heard that Davian hasn’t been able to sleep much since he started taking full-fledged successor lessons. I wonder if he’s regretting why he volunteered by now. Lamias wore a speechless expression as I nonchalantly brushed it off.

“Geez. Is it because he’s such a carefree guy that the spirits like him…….”

It’s not like I want to waste my time doing nothing. I still haven’t found a way to return, and I’ve been wondering if I can continue to live like this in a situation where I don’t know when I’ll be able to return. At first, I thought about creating a new identity as a gambler or returning to the Empire and living as a hunter again. But every time I tried to make a plan, I felt like I should just stay here. I don’t even know why.

“But what are you doing since earlier?”

“As you can see. I’m cooking.”

I held up the bowl I was mixing. The pickled cabbage with the red seasoning looked quite decent. But Lamias scrunched up her face.

“Is that really cooking? Didn’t you just pour a bunch of chili powder and garlic into it? You’re not manufacturing a terrorist bomb, are you?”

“Don’t say such terrible things. It’s food. It’s called kimchi.”

“I’ve never heard of such food before?”

“Wow, really? Even dragons don’t know everything.”

“What? Ah, no! I’m just saying it’s the first time I’ve heard the name. What country’s food is it?”

“I don’t know either. I just happened to see the recipe in a book.”

“What kind of book only has a recipe without introducing the region? Let me see that book too.”

“I don’t have it. I saw it in the library a long time ago. I don’t even know the title.”

“It sounds suspicious no matter how I listen to it. Aren’t you just making up words?”

I am making it up. But I can’t say it’s Korean food. It’s not like I’m advertising that I came from another world. If the other person is human, I can vaguely say that there is such a country and gloss over it, but it wouldn’t work for a dragon who is thousands of years old. In the end, Lamias narrowed her eyes as if she had concluded that I was joking.